Shows / The Interview
The Interview
Conversations with people shaping our world, from all around the globe. Listen to The Interview for the best conversations from the BBC, the world's most trusted international news provider. We hear from titans of business, politics, finance, sport and culture. Global leaders, decision-makers and cultural icons. Politicians, activists and CEOs. Each interview is around 20-minutes, packed full of insight and analysis, covering some of the biggest issues of our time. How does it work? Well, at…
Episodes
- The Interview
Former Conservative Party leader- Iain Duncan Smith
The British Government’s Brexit strategy can be summed up in Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s three-word phrase: ‘do or die’. As a deal between London and…
- The Interview
Chair of the Irish Senate Brexit Committee - Neale Richmond
Ireland is bracing itself for the scariest of Halloween nightmares. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has pledged to take the UK out of the EU on October the 31st…
- The Interview
Australian scientist - Tim Flannery
Meteorologists at the UN say the last four years were globally the hottest on record. Sean Ley talks to one of Australia's most eminent scientists who argues…
- The Interview
Former British Foreign Secretary - Jack Straw
The world’s most pressing and potentially dangerous strategic confrontation is playing out in the narrow waterway between Iran and Arabia. The United states is…
- The Interview
Leader, Hong Kong Civic Party - Alvin Yeung
Hong Kong is in uproar. Each weekend for the last two months, thousands of people have taken to the streets. Alvin Yueng, who leads the Civic Party shares…
- The Interview
Albert Woodfox: Life after solitary confinement
There are some human experiences which most of us find it very hard to get our heads around. Stephen Sackur speaks to Albert Woodfox, who experienced the…
- The Interview
Olafur Eliasson - Artist
How far can artists and their work change the world? Can artistic endeavour lead to concrete action to mitigate the impact of global warming, or is this…
- The Interview
Former Governor of the Reserve Bank of India - Raghuram Rajan
Sarah Montague speaks to Raghuram Rajan, until 2016 the Governor of the Reserve Bank of India. He says “capitalism is under threat” and if world leaders want…
- The Interview
Mayor of Istanbul - Ekrem Imamoğlu
Have voters in Istanbul dealt a serious blow to Turkey’s President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan? They’ve elected the opposition to the Mayor's office. A city of 16…
- The Interview
Foreign Minister of Iran - Javad Zarif
HARDtalk’s Zeinab Badawi is in New York, for a rare interview with the Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, who is attending high level talks at the UN…
- The Interview
Nobel Prize-winning economist - Sir Angus Deaton
Stephen Sackur interviews Sir Angus Deaton, a British-American economist and academic. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics (2015) for his analysis of…
- The Interview
Prime Minister, Greece - Kyriakos Mitsotakis
Can a new government transform Greece's fortunes? HARDtalk's Zeinab Badawi speaks exclusively to the new Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in Athens…
- The Interview
President of the UK Supreme Court - Lady Hale
Stephen Sackur speaks to Lady Hale, President of the UK Supreme Court. The British legal system has long enjoyed an international reputation for independence…
- The Interview
Former UK Prime Minister - Sir John Major
What kind of country will emerge from the Brexit mess? HARDtalk’s Stephen Sackur speaks to Sir John Major, former British Prime Minister. Within weeks the UK's…
- The Interview
US Republican Senator, Florida - Rick Scott
It's impossible to predict Donald Trump's policy-making and diplomacy. He seeks neither consistency, nor consensus - as is obvious in his approach to China…
- The Interview
Former East German sprinter - Ines Geipel
Doped for decades, East German athletes are still searching for truth and justice. When the infamous Berlin Wall was breached 30 years ago, the darkest secrets…
- The Interview
Actor and activist - Michael Sheen
Sarah Montague speaks to actor and activist Michael Sheen. Known around the world for his film, television and theatre work, Michael Sheen made his name for…
- The Interview
Chairman of the UK Brexit Party - Richard Tice
Brexit - not just an event, now a whole political movement. At the end of May, with its leader Nigel Farage at the helm, the Brexit Party swept the board in…
- The Interview
US Deputy Assistant Secretary for Cyber and Communications - Robert Strayer
How dangerous is the superpower rivalry in technology and information? Currently there’s much focus on the tensions between the US and China over the Chinese…
- The Interview
Senior adviser to President Obama (2009-2017) - Valerie Jarrett
How much responsibility should team Obama take for the course American politics has taken since they left centre-stage? HARDtalk’s Stephen Sackur speaks to…
- The Interview
Writer - Thomas Keneally
Is Australia still a country wrestling with its identity? HARDtalk’s Zeinab Badawi speaks to Australian writer Thomas Keneally. He's the author of more than 30…
- The Interview
Cardiac surgeon - Samer Nashef
There is something special about the human heart. We live with, and by, its constant beat. We invest it with our deepest feelings. So naturally we reserve…
- The Interview
Bas Eickhout, Dutch MEP, GreenLeft Party
Political power inside the European Union is no longer going to be easily stitched up between the two big blocks of centre left and centre right. After last…
- The Interview
US Democratic Party funder - Tom Steyer
As Donald Trump and family revel in the pomp and circumstance of a state visit to London, his staunchest political opponents continue to plot a pathway to…
- The Interview
Iyad El-Baghdadi, human rights activist
Hardtalk speaks to human rights activist Iyad El-Baghdadi. Six months after the Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was murdered in the Saudi consulate in…
- The Interview
Historian, geographer, anthropolgist and author Jared Diamond
Jared Diamond’s hugely successful books draw on biology, geography, anthropology and more. So what’s his conclusion about the long term viability of homo…
- The Interview
Eric Wainaina, musician
In Kenya, hope and despair live side by side. There is economic growth, technological transformation and a youthful population hungry for opportunity. There is…
- The Interview
Libyan author Hisham Matar
Stephen Sackur talks to renowned Libyan writer Hisham Matar. His writing has explored the impact of having a father ‘disappeared’ by the Gaddafi regime. How…
- The Interview
Justice for the 21, 1974 Birmingham pub bombings - Julie Hambleton
HARDtalk’s Stephen Sackur speaks to Julie Hambleton, founder of Justice for the 21. In November 1974 the IRA bombed two pubs in Birmingham and murdered twenty…
- The Interview
Hamas spokesman - Ghazi Hamad
The movement’s rhetoric is unbending, but do the Palestinian people long for new ideas? Stephen Sackur interviews Ghazi Hamad, a spokesman for Hamas. The surge…
- The Interview
Former Olympic swimmer - Sharron Davies
How does the sporting notion of fairness cope with the complexities of gender identity? HARDtalk’s Stephen Sackur speaks to former champion British swimmer…
- The Interview
Opposition leader of Russia's Yabloko Party - Grigory Yavlinsky
By the time Vladimir Putin’s current presidential term ends he will have dominated Russian politics for a quarter century and already there’s talk of…
- The Interview
Tony Adams: How vulnerable are elite sport stars?
When we were kids many of us dreamed of being a professional footballer, a star of the world’s most popular game with adulation and riches on tap. For a tiny…
- The Interview
Chief executive, Stonewall - Ruth Hunt
Does the debate on trans rights pose a problem for the gay liberation movement? HARDtalk's Sarah Montague speaks to the CEO of Stonewall, Ruth Hunt. Stonewall…
- The Interview
Venezuelan Opposition Ambassador to the UK - Vanessa Neumann
Confident that the socialist regime in Venezuela was in its death throes, the opposition led by Juan Guaido won the backing of elements within the armed forces…
- The Interview
UK Foreign Secretary - Jeremy Hunt
Britain’s top diplomat, Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, is at the end of a five-nation tour of Africa aimed at persuading the continent and the wider world that…
- The Interview
Vice President, Centre for China and Globalization - Victor Gao
Is China becoming more authoritarian under President Xi JinPing? HARDtalk’s Stephen Sackur speaks to Victor Gao, a well-connected think tank analyst in Beijing…
- The Interview
Former US Attorney for the Southern District of New York - Preet Bharara
HARDtalk’s Stephen Sackur speaks to Preet Bharara, former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. The Mueller Report is out and to noone’s…
- The Interview
Afghan Presidential Special Peace Envoy - Mohammad Umer Daudzai
What will it take to bring peace to Afghanistan? HARDtalk’s Stephen Sackur speaks to President Ghani’s Peace Envoy Mohammad Umer Daudzai. Just days ago, hopes…
- The Interview
Chairman, Sudan’s Transitional Military Council - Lt General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan
Can Sudan make the transition to a democratic government? Zeinab Badawi speaks to the head of the military council running the country, General Abdel Fattah…
- The Interview
Presidential candidate, DRC - Martin Fayulu
Can the Democratic Republic of Congo set itself on a path of peace and reconciliation? HARDtalk’s Zeinab Badawi speaks to opposition politician and…
- The Interview
Wole Soyinka, Nobel Literature laureate
Nobel Literature laureate and Nigerian professor Wole Soyinka is one of the giants of African and world literature, and a passionate advocate and campaigner…
- The Interview
Vice Chancellor and Finance Minister, Germany - Olaf Scholz
Does Germany need to reboot its economic model? HARDtalk’s Stephen Sackur is in Berlin for an exclusive interview with Germany's Vice Chancellor and Finance…
- The Interview
Chairman, Sudan Reform Now - Ghazi Salahuddin Atabani
How soon can Sudan become a democracy? HARDtalk’s Zeinab Badawi speaks to Sudanese politician Ghazi Salahuddin Atabani, a former ally of deposed president Omer…
- The Interview
Writer - Edouard Louis
Every so often a writer emerges with a voice so original, distinctive and strong that it is heard far beyond the confines of the book buying public. HARDtalk’s…
- The Interview
Jason Rezaian, journalist imprisoned in Tehran, 2014 - 2016
US-Iranian journalist Jason Rezaian was working for the Washington Post in Tehran when he was arrested in July 2014. He was accused of spying for the CIA…
- The Interview
Apollo 11 astronaut - Michael Collins
Fifty years on, what was the significance of the Apollo 11 mission to the moon? Stephen Sackur is in Florida to speak to one of the crew members of the Apollo…
- The Interview
Former US Deputy Secretary of State William Burns
Stephen Sackur speaks to former US Deputy Secretary of State William Burns, who worked as a top ranking diplomat for three decades, serving five US presidents…
- The Interview
Philippe Lamberts MEP
Stephen Sackur talks to the Belgian MEP and member of the European Parliament's Brexit steering group, Philippe Lamberts. Will Britain get another extension to…
- The Interview
Bernard Chan of the Hong Kong Executive Council
Zeinab Badawi is in Hong Kong to speak to Bernard Chan who sits on the territory’s Executive Council. There have been complaints by pro-democracy activists…
- The Interview
Writer - Angie Thomas
Can literature help bridge America's racial divide? HARDtalk’s Stephen Sackur speaks to Angie Thomas, a writer whose first novel, The Hate U Give, electrified…
- The Interview
Former Trump campaign adviser - George Papadopoulos
Special Counsel Robert Mueller found no evidence that the President colluded with the Russians during the 2016 presidential election. Even though Mueller left…
- The Interview
Ken Clarke MP – Former Conservative Chancellor
MPs are currently trying to find a Brexit consensus in defiance of the wishes of Prime Minister May. How close to breaking point is Britain’s political system?…
- The Interview
Jens Stoltenberg, Secretary General of Nato
HARDtalk’s Stephen Sackur speaks to NATO’s Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation is 70 years old this year, but despite…
- The Interview
Interim President, World Bank - Kristalina Georgieva
Is the World Bank braced for turbulence ahead? HARDtalk’s Stephen Sackur speaks to the bank's interim President Kristalina Georgieva. For more than seven…
- The Interview
Former chief constable of Kent Police, UK - Michael Fuller
Is UK policing fit for purpose? Stephen Sackur speaks to Michael Fuller, former chief constable of Kent police, and the only black Briton to have run one of…
- The Interview
Deputy of Venezuela’s Voluntad Popular party - Juan Andres Mejia
Is there a way out of Venezuela’s protracted agony? Stephen Sackur speaks to Juan Andres Mejia, Deputy of Venezuela’s Voluntad Popular party. For millions of…
- The Interview
Israeli author Ayelet Gundar-Goshen
Stephen Sackur speaks to Ayelet Gundar-Goshen, a prize-winning Israeli novelist who brings a trained psychologist’s eye to compelling stories set in her home…
- The Interview
British rapper Professor Green
Mental health is not easy to talk about, least of all for young men, so often brought up to regard emotional vulnerability as weakness. In a special edition of…
- The Interview
Prime Minister of Italy (2016 – 2018) - Paolo Gentiloni
Theresa May’s European parliamentary elections could be a defining moment in the struggle for the EU's future; a continent wide clash between the forces of…